Do you have any vacuum gauges at all to test the pump? ( Though I doubt that is the problem based upon your tests )

With that said, I’m married to a woman who puts me to shame with her mechanical maintenance abilities, so after a couple of struggles with changing the oil she now has it down to an art.

We’ve bought six so far with two more on the way. But families and individuals considering getting their own can and should as long as they go in with their eyes open.

I routed the exhaust from the catch can to a home made catch can that consisted of a jar with two ports with steel wool inside. I wanted to see just how much oil would escape the newly install catch can and collect in the jar.

If you store something with fats and oils in it, it can go rancid quicker than those without it. So again, something that has a higher fat content, it may only last about 10 years instead of 25 years.

The unit can also connect to and communicate the freeze dryer cycle data to a nearby PC through an ethernet cable.

Meats can be processed either raw or cooked. Thick cuts will take a long time to process, so consider thinner cuts or cutting the meats thin yourself. Just be aware that raw and cooked meats will come out of the machine looking the same so be sure to label your packages.

7) Next up the drain line. This not only deminishes condensation but also eliminates an unnecessary hot spot into the chamber.

AN8 male fittings are 3/4 X 16tpi. Should be able to get one that will work in this application. Also, there filters that use metric threads, might be easier to deal with.

.. Hence the vapor barrier. But once I opened it up I figured I may as well insulate the bare ports as well, and insure that the water was diverted away from the electrics of the system. Once I sealed up the insides I noticed that the condensation on the front panel increased dramatically as the air was trapped between the plastic vapor barrier and the back of the front panel. That was when the drip rail was installed on the front of the unit.

Other key factors also include energy conservation. Energy efficient freeze dryers use power saving features to meet the required energy performance standards. Helping the business not to compromise on quality, An investment in an energy efficient system helps businesses reduce operating expenses.

4 trays of corn takes only 16 hours, I would estimate that we have cut our FD times by 30% or more! Condensation has been decreased by 90% - no more dripping down the interior front panel and collecting on the aluminum base. There is still condensation around the front door seal, but it pelo longer drips down the front onto the floor.

Monitoring the FDer internal temps and once I see -40F I start the dry cycle, except for high sugar content food which I give an extra hour. I'm still experimenting with Ice cream and a few fruits to determine optimal freeze time to get the best results. The cooling cycle ends up much shorter.

The food options we had there were extremely limited and full of preservatives. To counter that, my buddy Lance went in Know More with family members on the purchase of a freeze dryer for home use.